Fruits & Veggies Monday: Another Summer Staple {Zucchini & Lima Bean Bowls}

Happy Monday!  I hope all is well with everyone across the Steemit-sphere.  I am definitely feeling a lot better than last Monday, so I can enjoy perusing through the other #fruitsandveggiesmonday entries in a comfortable manner. :)  Thank you as always to our fabulous host @lenasveganliving for keeping the contest going, and a big thanks to the sponsors and rotating guest judges!

This week I had access to not only the abundance of the farmers market, but also got some goodies from someone's backyard garden.  I think I may have mentioned before either in a post or a comment that this time of year the zucchini squash is so abundant most people are trying to give them away just to use them up!  We have been up to our eyeballs in zucchini from our garden previous years, but this year no such luck so I am happy to be gifted some.

Like much of the fabulous produce that is in season right now, zucchini can be used in a number of ways.  I feel like it doesn't have a whole lot of flavor on its own, but it makes a fantastic base for so many dishes and is full of fiber and other nutrients.  I know I have seen lots of light and delicious zoodle recipes around, it is great grilled (like on these sandwiches), you can put it in oatmeal, or it is excellent in a light summer salad.  I actually am using it a few different ways just this week, and the first is in a bean and rice salad bowl.

This one was yet another variation on my favorite basic combination of veggies, beans, greens and grains.  The lima (butter) beans are fantastic right now, as well, so this week I opted to cook them and leave them whole instead of putting in a dip like last week.  The food processor was once again the winner of my meal prepping, as I used it to slice up the zucchini for the salad and shredded it for muffins and to go in some veggie burgers.

The muffins I made were from Oh She Glows, as I still tend to do better following a recipe for baked goods than trying to come up with my own.  These are the Oil-Free Chocolate Zucchini Muffins, and they are absolutely fantastic.  For being oil-free and vegan the texture was still perfect with the moisture from the zucchini.  Definitely worth turning on the oven even on a hot summer day. ;)

I can't take credit for the muffin recipe, but I can share my easy bowl combination.  Though I have tried to make the pretty Buddha bowls in the past with all of the ingredients nicely arranged, more often than not I just toss everything together like this one.  I've been getting more into the World Cup than I thought, so I didn't want to miss any action by taking longer in the kitchen than needed.  Ha!

Zucchini & Lima Bean Bowls w/ Tahini Dressing

• 1 1/2 cups black rice or other grain of choice
• 1 medium raw zucchini, thinly sliced
• 2 cups cooked fresh lima beans
• 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup each fresh chopped mint & green onions
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1 half lemon, juice
• 3 tablespoons lemongrass mint white balsamic (can sub rice wine vinegar)
• 1 tablespoon white miso
• leafy greens to serve

Cook your grains accordingly.  I still have a large amount of black rice, so I have been using that a lot lately (thanks Costco)!  Since rice grown in some regions can hold an excess amount of arsenic, I have been cooking it in more water than needed and then draining and rinsing to reduce the risk of that.  It actually works great to maintain the texture of the rice for a cold salad to rinse it after cooking, as well.

While your rice cooks, combine your cooked lima beans, sliced zucchini (again the food processor or mandolin works wonders for uniform pieces), and pumpkin seeds with your chopped herbs.

Mix together your the tahini through the miso for your dressing.  Thin out with a few tablespoons of water to get the desired consistency.  Taste and adjust to your liking.

Once the rice is finished, mix everything together.  Serve over dark leafy greens for a light summer lunch, as a side dish, or bring along to your 4th of July party!

I really love the lemongrass mint balsamic vinegar this time of year, so if you can get your hands on something similar I highly recommend it!  It is very light and has a refreshing mint flavor that goes great with the fresh mint from our garden.

Have a great week everyone!!